Ash tray



April 15, 1941. N, R. MAINIERE ASH 'TRAY Filed NOV'. 16, 1938 u s n Stg u Patented Apr. 15, 1941 UNITED' STATES PATENT OFFICE ASH TRAY Nicholas R. Mainiere, New York, N. Y.

Application November 16, 1938, Serial No. 240,604

10 Claims.

onto the surface upon which it is pressed and, in

the case of a cigarette, to prevent its bending into a shape in which the liquid fails to attack the lighted end. A further object is to prevent leakage of the liquid no matter in what position the device may happen to be, or how violently it may be shaken. Still another object is to facilitate the cleaning of the device. Other objects will become apparent from the specification which follows.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 isa vertical cross section of one embodiment of the invention, taken along I-I of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a top plan View yof the same device, partly broken oif. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section, similar to Fig 1, but of ano-ther form of the invention, with the base partly bro-ken off. Fig. 4 is a similar cross section of a further modification of the invention. Fig. 5 is a detai1,-also in vertical cross section, of still another modification of the device.

' Referring to Figs. l and 2 in detail, I isa saucer shaped base, in the center of which is a well or liquid container 2, screwed onto the base I at 3. Although here shown as in the center of the base I, it is obvious that the well 2 may be located at any other part of the base. The well 2, open on top at 4, is lled with water in which floats the buoyant member 5, here shown as a ball or sphere. The water is not shown in the drawing. The sphere 5 has a depression 6 over which a tubular member 1 extends from the sphere 5 through the well opening 4. One or more perforations 8 through the wall of the tubular member 1 are designed to permit a small amount of water to pass from the well into the depression 6 when the sphere 5 is caused to move downward by the pressure of a cigar or cigarette stump introduced into the tubular member 1. The movement of the sphere 5 is guided by the member 1 moving within the well opening 4 and by the pin 9 anchored in the base I. The pin 9 is received in the opening IIl'of the sphere 5. A spring Il around the pin 9 serves to urge the sphere 5 against the top of thev well and toguide the pin 9. A washer I2 is provided at the connection between the well 2 and the base I. The inner -wall of the well 2 tapers off towards the base to permit the sphere 5 to be depressed and to provide the necessary spacing for the passage of the liquid upwards.

In the modification shown in Figure 3, the well 2 is integral with the base I and has a cap I3 screwed onto the well 2 at 3'. The opening 4 is in the cap I3. The tubular member I5 in this case is flared at the top. For this reason, it is made detachable from the sphere 5'. The member I5 is in the shape of a cup having a bottom 6 below the perforations 8. In the drawing, the tubular member or, more correctly, the cup I5 is shown as screwed into the sphere 5. Another modification, as compared with the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, is in the method of guiding the movement of the buoyant member 5'. Instead of the pin 9 of Figure l, a lug I4 is provided at the bottom of the sphere 5, and a cooperating lug I6 on the base I. The spring II, attached to the base Iv at one end and to the buoyant sphere 5 at the other, has the double function of guiding the movement of the sphere 5' and of urging it against the cap I3. A washer I2' is again provided at the connection between the well 2 and the cap I3.

In Figure 4, the buoyant member 5" is in the shape of a disc, the upper portion of which, I1, is of less width than the lower portion. The cap I3 has arecess I8 into which the portion I1v of the buoyant member 5" fits closely. There is a slight clearance between the lower portion of the disc 5" and the inner wall of the well 2. The washer I2 effectively prevents leakage not only at the connection 3 between the well and the cap, but also into the opening- 4 lof the well. The guide pin 9' is now anchored in thel buoyant member 5, instead of the base I, as in Figure 1, and the base I has a lug I6 for positioning the spring II around the pin 9.

The last modiiication, shown in Fig. 5, consists in making the well open at the bottom and providing a removable plug I9 to close it. This modification is designed as an improvement from a manufacturing standpoint.

It is'clear that-the guiding arrangement illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 may equally well be applied to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, and vice versa, the arrangement of Fig. 1 may be applied to the types illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. It is also clear that the form of the tubular member 1 shown in Figs. 1 and 4 may be replaced by the cup I5 of Fig. 3, and that the shape of the buoyant member, of which two forms are here illustrated, may be greatly varied, so long as the outer surface of the buoyant member fits closely upon the inner surface of the Well (or the well cap) around the opening 4.

The operation of the device is very simple. When .a cigar or cigarette is to be extinguished, its end is pressed into the tubular member 1, or cup I5, the pressure causing the buoyant member to move downward, thereby clearing a space between the buoyant member and the inner wall of the well. The liquid will rise from the well into this space and trickle through the perforations 8 (or 8') into the depression 6 (or bottom 6' of the cup I5) extinguishing the cigar or cigarette.

The tubular member 'l may, of course, be omitted, in which case the liquid will enter the depression 6 without having to pass through perforations 8, but the device, as here illustrated, is preferred because, without the tubular member 1, or the cup I5, when a cigarette stump is pressed onto the wet surface, it will generally bend into a shape in which the moisture may fail to attack the lighted end of the cigarette, and eventhe pas,

sage of the liquid may be be obstructed. When the tubular member is omitted, the opening 4 is made with a aring mouth.

The spring Il or H may obviously be replaced by other resilient means, the means here shown serving merely as an illustration. It should be noted that the spring is not absolutely necessary,

since the device will operate quite well without it,

owing to the buoyancy of the member 5 (or 5', 5), although the addition of the resilient means is preferred. Nor will absence of such resilient means necessarily cause leakage, so long as the device remains in its natural position.

It will also be noted that the device is easily taken apart so that it can be readily cleaned.

The spring Il (or Il) serves not only as a means for urging the buoyant member against the top of the well, but also as a guide for the pin 9 (or 9'), or the lug I4. However, as the buoyant member is, to some extent, guided in its movement by the movement of the tubular member` l (or the cup I5) within the well opening 4, the additional guiding means, although desirable, may be dispensed with, to simplify the apparatus.

Other modications, additions and omissions may be made by those skilled in the art, within the spirit and scope of the present invention, but to further enumerate them would only needlessly encumber the specification and drawing.

I claim: n

1. An ash tray including a well having an opening at the top, a buoyant member in said well having an outer surface adapted to closely t upon the inner wall of said well around said opening but elsewhere spaced from said Wall, a depressed portion in said buoyant member registering with said well opening, and a tubular extension on said depressed portion of the buoyant member through said opening having a perforation through its wall.

2. An ash tray including a well, a cap for said well detachably secured thereto and having an opening at the top, a buoyant member in said f well having an outer surface adapted to closely fit upon the inner surface of said cap around said opening and spaced from the inner wall of said well, a depressed portion in said buoyant member registering with said cap opening, and a tubular member, outwardly iiared, detachably secured to said buoyant member through said cap opening and having a perforation through its wall.

3. An ash tray including a well having an opening at the top, a buoyant member in said well having an outer surface adapted to closely fit upon the inner wall of said well around said opening but elsewhere spaced from said wall, a depressed portion in said buoyant member registering with said well opening, and an outwardly flared tubular member detachably secured to said buoyant member through said well opening and having a perforation through lts wall.

4. An ash tray including a well having an opening at the top, a buoyant member in said well having an outer surface adapted to closely t upon the inner wall of said well around said opening but elsewhere spaced from said Wall, and an outwardly flaring cup detachably secured to said buoyant member through said well opening and having a perforation through its wall.

5. An ash tray including a well having an opening at the top, a buoyant member in said well having an outer surface adapted to closely t upon the inner wall of said Well around said opening but elsewhere spaced from said wall, a depressed portion in said buoyant member registering with said well opening, a guide pin anchored in said base and extending into said buoyant member, the latter being provided with an opening for receiving said pin and permitting relative movement therebetween, and a spring around said pin resting on said base and abutting said buoyant member.

6. An ash tray including a well having an opening at the top, a buoyant member in said well having an outer surface adapted to closely t upon the inner wall of said well around said opening but elsewhere spaced from said wall, a depressed portion in said buoyant member registering with said well opening, a guide pin anchored in said buoyant member, and a spring around said pin anchored in said base.

'7. An ash tray including a Well having an opening at the top, a buoyant member in said well having an outer surface adapted to closely t upon the inner wall of said well around said opening but elsewhere spaced from said wall, a depressed portion in said buoyant member registering with said well opening, a lug on said buoyant member opposite said depressed portion, a cooperating lug on said base, and a spring between and around said lugs.

8. An ash tray including an open well, a cap for said well detachably secured thereto and having an opening at the top, a buoyant member in said well having an outer surface adapted to closely fit upon the inner surface of said cap around the Vc ap opening and spaced from the wall of said well, and an outwardly flaring cup detachably secured to said buoyant member through said cap opening and having a perforation through its wall.

9. An ash tray including a well having a detachable bottom and an opening at the top, a buoyant member in said well having an outer surface adapted to closely fit upon the inner wall of said well around said opening, but elsewhere spaced from said wall, and an outwardly iiaring cup detachably secured to said buoyant member through said well opening and having a perforation through its Walls.

10. An ash tray including a well having a detachable bottom, a cap for said well detachably secured thereto and having an opening at the top, a buoyant member in said well having an outer surface adapted to closely fit upon the inner surface of said cap around said opening and spaced from the inner wall of said well, a depressed portion in said buoyant member registering with said cap opening, and a tubular extension on said buoyant member through said cap opening having a perforation through its walls.

NICHOLAS R. MAINIERE. 

